Too Fat for 15 - Page 2

Alumiyum · #1 08-03-2010, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Did you type this disclaimer out of habit without reading ree-Xi's post to see that she already included that disclaimer in her post?

If so, that's another reason why obesity will never stop being a problem in America and disproportionately in the Black community. People are so stuck in disclaimers and making sure no one feels bad about themselves. Yeah, let's make the AVERAGE PERSON (athletes are a small % of the population) believe that they can be 50+ lbs (technically) overweight and be perfectly healthy; and that we can't discuss obesity without also discussing how people can be thin or average size and unhealthy.

Those people represent a very small % and they need to consult doctor(s) to ensure that they are REALLY heavy and healthy. Eating well (that includes the right kind of food and the right proportions--overeating health food and junk food is unhealthy) and exercising usually means that you will not be "heavy" in the sense that most people are overweight. The scale may be higher, especially when you build muscle mass, but your bodyfat composition and how your body looks and clothes fit will show that the person isn't overweight in the sense that we are talking about in this thread.

People get real unrealistic and dishonest when we talk about body image and weight. People pretend that their muffin top is a result of healthy and moderate eating and exercise. You don't have to want to lose weight for your body to reflect your healthy lifestyle.

In fact, she said that people can become thin through unhealthy practices, not that they are in fact thin and unhealthy to begin with. It is easy for a thin person to judge a fat person, but thin does not automatically mean healthy.

I never said being 50 pounds overweight would be ok. I have family members that are around 20 pounds overweight with perfect blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, etc. It is unlikely that the extra weight is from muscle mass, and they do not appear to be thin. They are probably healthier than I am, considering the holy hell I put my body through when I first got to college. Obviously, if someone is 50 or more pounds overweight they are probably unhealthy or are on a path to become unhealthy. That is a different argument that no one is disputing.

My size 10 and 12 family members were far healthier than I (yes, they have been and are monitored by a doctor and are factually very healthy) when I was a 2, and are probably healthier than I am now at a 4, considering the damage I have done to myself (including at one point a diet of almost totally fast food, an addiction to milkshakes, and drinking about 3 times a week...not light beer, either...didn't gain a pound at the time, but there is no telling how many empty calories I was taking in a day...very, very, very unhealthy). The whole point is that BMI numbers are NOT a complete indicator of health, nor is weight. Someone who is on the top of the normal range or the bottom of the overweight range can be healthy. Someone at the bottom to middle of the normal range can be unhealthy. Obviously someone at the top of the overweight range and above is very likely not in good health and I haven't seen anyone argue that yet. No one has or is saying obesity is healthy or that it is ok and safe to be obese. The argument is that "fat" is a general term and doesn't always mean someone is one step from a heart attack. The "muffin top" doesn't by default mean someone is lazy or does not eat right, and the lack of one doesn't necessarily indicate an active person who has healthy eating habits.

RaggedyAnn · #2 08-11-2010, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FleurGirl

That girl in the pink sweatshirt really isn't fat... Neither is the girl on the far left...
Those kinds of shows just make me sad.

I watched one episode. The girl in the pink is 11 and over 200 pounds (I think 210). If I'm remembering correctly, the girl on the left has already been on campus for a while.

DrPhil · #3 08-02-2010, 12:18 PM

Hideous airbrushing in that photo.

Alumiyum · #4 08-02-2010, 01:00 PM

Of course being drastically overweight can cause health problems, but I wish more attention was paid to healthy living in general. A person who is generally accepted to be thin or average can still be incredibly unhealthy. My metabolism started slowing down a couple of years ago and I finally started trying to eat right and exercise, but before that a doctor told me I was on the border for getting diabetes, my percentage fat was extremely high, and that I desperately needed to be doing cardio and quit the caffeine. I was 5'4" and around 105 pounds. Not skinny, but what I consider to be thin. Definitely not overweight. I'm about ten pounds heavier now with a much healthier percentage of that being muscle and my eating habits are (mostly) better, but I've got tons of friends that are probably just as unhealthy as I was two years ago, and they fit into a size 2. Point being you don't HAVE to be overweight to be incredibly unhealthy.

I hope these kids get a fair shake. Sometimes these shows are cruel in how they edit the footage.

DrPhil · #5 08-03-2010, 10:32 AM

The overweight and obesity epidemic is generally not about people who could lose 10-20lbs. These people are technically overweight but it is considered at the warning level of the weight index. I'm sure everyone has already seen the "underweight, normal range, overweight, obese" line graph/table before.

I'm talking about 50+ lbs overweight because that's what's generally considered obese and morbidly obese; and that can also include 20+lbs overweight. That's what the overweight and obesity epidemic is generally about because a large percentage of the population has far surpassed the warning level of 10-20lbs. The kids in this show are definitely over 20lbs overweight and are probably 50+lbs overweight.

So, if everyone agrees on overweight and unhealthy when it pertains to people who could lose more than 10-20 lbs, that's cool.

Alumiyum · #6 08-03-2010, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

The overweight and obesity epidemic is generally not about people who could lose 10-20lbs. These people are technically overweight but it is considered at the warning level of the weight index. I'm sure everyone has already seen the "underweight, normal range, overweight, obese" line graph/table before.

I'm talking about 50+ lbs overweight because that's what's generally considered obese and morbidly obese; and that can also include 20+lbs overweight. That's what the overweight and obesity epidemic is generally about because a large percentage of the population has far surpassed the warning level of 10-20lbs. The kids in this show are definitely over 20lbs overweight and are probably 50+lbs overweight.

So, if everyone agrees on overweight and unhealthy when it pertains to people who could lose more than 10-20 lbs, that's cool.

Yes, you and I are talking about two different things.

NinjaPoodle · #7 08-11-2010, 12:14 AM

So, did anyone watch it besides me?

ree-Xi · #8 08-11-2010, 04:33 PM

I haven't watched it though I did watch a few episodes of "Huge". Nicky Blonsky's character has very few redeeming qualities. The writers haven't given the viewer much reason to care about her character. David Hasselhoff's daughter's character is a bit bland if not typical - the "pretty, blond" girl at (fat) camp. The camp administrator has a cliched back story, and it's too pervasive in the episodes.

I'll have to look for "Too Fat for 15" online.

AOII Angel · #9 08-11-2010, 05:15 PM

All this talk about thin people being as unhealthy as overweight people is a load of BS. Alumiyum, you were borderline DM2 mainly because of the luck of a genetic predisposition, not because of eating habits at 102 pounds. Being a little more fastidious helps, but without that genetic predisposition, you would not be DM2. Type 2 diabetes is a disease of the obese and a few groups of non-obese people with a genetic predisposition. There's not an epidemic of thin people with diabetes because they eat fast food and don't work out.

A telling study was done that showed followed four groups of people, thin people who exercised, thin people who did no exercise, obese people who exercised and obese people who did no exercise. The study clearly demonstrated that thin people had less health risks with or without exercise than obese people. Obese people who exercise did better than obese people who did no exercise, but they did NOT do better than thin people who did no exercise. As much as people would like to believe that you can be "healthy" as a normal weight person if you are obese, it is simplty not true. You can be close if you do the recommended amount of exercise, but lets be honest, how many people who are obese can and do participate in that much physical activity?